Eric Burke

Autumnal Equinox

She is busy in the kitchen, pouring
vinegar into a pot,

making Christmas ornaments
out of milk.



Plate I (Frontispiece)

"In the crawl space beneath a bramble, a boy lies dying. If only he would stand up and ripen."



Beneath a Sky Without His Birth Sign

The emergency blanket blows away, gets caught
on the back fence.



Household Gods

He didn't want to feed moldy bread to the birds.
He didn't want to attract hawks.


CP

Eric Burke works as a computer programmer in Columbus, Ohio. Recent work can be found in elimae, decomP, kill author, Right Hand Pointing, qarrtsiluni, A cappella Zoo, and Weave Magazine. You can read his blog at http://anomalocrinus.blogspot.com/

Eric Burke

 

December 22

Nothing new under the sun. Tea is falling through the infuser again. I look out back instead. The lake in my yard is becoming talkative. Through the closed window: "There will always be the evidence of the weather." Long ago we put away our political signs. We listen to each other's intonation. There are no real clues. There never have been. I drink my tea, enjoy it more and more less and less.

CP

Eric Burke is a computer programmer in Columbus, Ohio. His writing has appeared in elimae, qarrtsiluni, PANK, A cappella Zoo, Emprise Review, Word Riot, among others. You can read his blog at http://anomalocrinus.blogspot.com/

Eric Burke

Nostalgia

Patio and thunder.
Stonework and soft
wanting
under.
Oh the full, the rich reality
of a closed
world.

Second Story

1.

The great stinkweed tree
to the east of our house

grew as high as our second-story bathroom window:
I always thought about

throwing a rope out to it      and escaping

CP

Eric Burke's recent work can be found in elimae, Right Hand Pointing, Alba, nibble, and The Driftwood Review. Work is forthcoming in Heavy Bear, Otoliths, and Counterexample Poetics. You can read his blog here.